Family Celebrates Healthy 5-Year-Old's Birthday at Disney, She Dies Days After Getting Back Home
Disney vacations mark some of the happiest times on earth. The only sad part is when you have to pack your bags and say, “see ya real soon!”
A family from Florida recently experienced this, but what they came home to ended up being a nightmare rather than time spent reminiscing the happy memories they’d just created.
Holly Middleton and her family had just visited Disney Springs with their precious 5-year-old, Scarlett.
The little girl had a magical time celebrating her birthday in style, complete with a princess makeover King Triton would be proud of.
“She WAS Princess Ariel that day,” Holly shared with Love What Matters. But it was not King Triton whom Scarlett was about to meet.
“Little did we know she was practicing that day to be a Princess in Heaven a few days later,” Holly wrote. “Reigning under Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.”
The heartbroken mama went on to write about the experience that followed their magical vacation. Scarlett had gotten sick and started throwing up.
Sounds like a normal bout of the stomach flu, and any parent would think the same. We’ve all had a little one who has come down with a bug on more than one occasion.
But this was not a virus, though the doctors sent Holly and Scarlett home thinking that’s precisely what it was.
“20 hours later she was dead,” Holly said. “I called the ambulance when I thought something wasn’t right.”
As a mom of three, I can’t imagine how this strong woman handled what happened next. She called an ambulance, but Scarlett died before they ever made it to the hospital.
This story is almost unbearable to hear for any parent, but Holly has shared her experience in hopes that Scarlett will not only be remembered but so she can keep bringing joy to others every day.
“In those hours of holding her an idea came to mind; a way to keep her light shining on Earth, even though her spirit was in Heaven,” Holly said.
The mom decided to start taking flowers with her everywhere. She’d give them out to random people, hoping to see some smiles along the way.
“I carry Scarlett with me and I see her light on the faces of the people who receive the flowers,” Holly shared on Facebook.
And this is how a charity called “Scarlett’s Sunshine” was started. The Facebook page for the charity has already received notes of “thanks,” too.
“I received Scarlett’s flower last Wednesday. My mother is severely ill…” one person wrote. “You indeed gave me sunshine at that moment.”
If you’d like to help spread some of Scarlett’s Sunshine, you can donate to the charity’s GoFundMe campaign.
While this sweet little girl is surely missed, it is inspiring to see her mom step out to lift others up even during her grief. No doubt Scarlett is smiling down from Heaven with every flower that’s given.
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